Method of operating trains on multitrack city railroads



G. G. ERDOS.

METHOD OF OPERATING TRAINS 0 N MULTITRACK CITY RAILROADS. I APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, I920- 1,345,152, PatentedJune29, 1920.

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GEORGE G. ERDOS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF OPERATING- TRAINS ON MULTITRACK CITY IRAILROADS.

' Application filed April 28,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon G Ennos, a citizen of Hungary, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Trams on Multitrack City Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to 1mprovements in a method of operating trains on railroads, for instance in subways or on elevated structures usually found 1n large cities.

The subways and elevated rallroads .of cities usually comprise each a plural ty of tracks, either three or four, to 'permlt the operation of both local and express trains. The most common practice is to build these railroads with four tracks, two of the same being provided for the trailic in one direction and the other two for the traffic 1n the opposite direction. One track of each set serves for the local trafiic and the other one for the express traffic. The express tracks are in day time, and particularly during the so called rush-hours, overcrowded with trains, While, at the same tune the local tracks, on which the trains serve mainly as feeders to the express trains, are inefliciently used, the service thereon being too slow for such passengers who travel to distant points.

The main object of the present lnvent on is to provide a method of operating trains, whereby the trafiic is more evenly d1str1buted over the line and also accelerated.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the nature of the same is better understood.

The accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically a section of a railroad, the stations of which are divided into groups suitable for carrying out the method forming the subject matter of the present application for Letters Patent.

In order to fully understand the invention, let us consider a concrete example, for instance a section of the subway in New York city between two express stations, illustrated in the accompanying drawing. The section is located between two express stations on the west side subway, namely between Chambers street and 14th street, and contains four tracks, the tracks 1 and 2 serving for local trafiic, and

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J e 29 1920 1920. Serial No. 377,273.

tracks 3 and 4 for express traffic. On tracks 1 and 3 run downtown trains, and on tracks 2 and 4 uptown trains. From an lnspection of the drawing it will be noted that, along the tracks, the following stations are located between Chambers and 14th streets, to wit: Franklin St. station, Canal St. station, Houston St. station, and Christopher St. station. The station platforms on Chambers and 14th streets are so disposed that they serve both for the express and local trains. The station platforms on the intermediate stations serve for local trains only, they being not accessible to and from express trains.

During rush-hours, the express trains reach the express stations in an almost continuous line, the main difiiculty in speedmg up the trains being due to the delay, required for taking on and discharging passengers at stations. A continuous transfer of passengers from local trains to express trains and from express trains to local trains takes place at express stations,

with the result that the express service is stations in each express section are divided into two groups, one group including every alternatelocal station inthe section, beginning, for instance, with the first local station after an express station in the section, and the second group including all local stations between. the stations of the first group. The railroad section illustrated in the drawing contains in the first group those stations which are located at Franklin and Houston streets, and the second group includes those stations which are located at Canal and Christopher streets. The local trains on each local track are similarly divided into two series. One series of trains stopping at every station belonging to the first group and the other series stopping at every station belonging to the second group, both series of local trains stopping, of course,at every express station.

By so operating the local trains, they are of passengers, who change trains at express.

stations, is reduced, the result of which, in

turn, is that the express trains are not so long delayed at theirstations, as heretofore. In this manner, the traflic on the four tracks is more evenly divided than heretofore, the efficiency of the tracks being "greatly increased, 1n contradistinction to the practice now prevailing, by which the express tracks are worked to their uttermost capacity, while the local tracks are consid-- erably neglected.

In order to avoid confusion, as far, as

"those passengers are concerned whotravel on local trains only, in practice it is neces sary to designate the two groups of local stations by symbols, for instance, letters, "numbers, colors, or they may be distinguished by being called odd and even stations. By so designating thestations, the

1 passengers are able to ascertain Whether or not the station at which they intend to leave the train belongs to the group in which the boarding station is included. If apassenger travels ona trainbelonging to a group not stopping at" the destination, the said passenger must either go as far as the next express station and then travel back on the opposite local track to the proper station, or the passenger may leave at a station next to 35 the destination and walk the intervening distance.-

The method of operating trains herein described may be used equally as well on railroads having one or two tracks only.

Ordinarily these roads have only local service, which may be, however, considerably accelerated by dividing the stations into two fgroups, in the lIlZLIlIIGIflbOVG described, and by operating the trains in two series, as

s ay be applied to 'roadshavingthree tracks, of which one serves as an express track,

above specified; The same arrangement l trains running on the latter in one direction during a certain time interval and in the opposite direction at other times.

What I claim is 3 1. The method of operating trains on roads having express and local tracks, which consists in dividing the local stations between each two express stations into two groups, one group including every alternate local station in each section and the other group including all local stationsbetween the stations of the first group, dividing the local trains into two series and despatching them in alternate order, and causing the local trains belonging to one series to stop at every station of said first group and those 1' of the second series at every station belonging to the second group, both series of local trains being stopped at every express station.

2. The method of operating trains on roads, which consists in dividing the stations into two groups, one group including every alternate station and the other group including all stations between'those of the first group, dividing the trains into the two series and despatching them in alternate orcer, and causing the trains belonging to one series to stop at every station of the first group and those of the second series at every station belonging to the second group.

3. The method of operating trains on roads, which consists in dividing the stations into a plurality of groups, the stations of the several groups being disposed alternately and in regular order, dividing the trains into a similar number of series and. despatching them in alternate and regular order, and causing the trains belonging to any series to stop at every station of a corresponding group.

Signed at New'York, in the county of 90 New York and Stateof New York, this 26th day of April, A.- D. 1920. r 

